It was a weekend that saw the premiership window open with Geelong struggling with injuries and St Kilda struggling to overcome a bottom four side in West Coast.
Fraser has re injured his knee which could be a worry for the Pies as they are a 5 goal better side with him.
Collingwood defeated Bulldogs by 1 point
This was a chance for both teams to show that they are a chance to match it against both St Kilda & Geelong. In looking at their form, both teams have struggled against top 8 teams with only 3 wins between them.
Collingwood started very well with a 7 goal first quarter that set up the game and while the Dogs tried it was not until the last quarter that they started to get on top. The Dogs had their chances with 6 goals & 5 behinds in the last quarter but a costly error in defense gifted Thomas the winning goal.
Question marks continue on their forward line with Minson (their hope) only having four marks for the game.
Carlton defeated Richmond by 20 points
Richmond wanted revenge but on the back of Fevola kicking 9 and the Tigers kicking 1 goal 8 behinds with the wind in the third quarter, they never had a chance. Fevola turned a dirty goaless first quarter into a match winning performance.
There where promising signs for Richmond with Post taking several good marks, Vickery having his best game and Nahas providing energy. However when Cousins is your best player & Deledio needing to write on his hand a reminder to “run hard”, there is a lot more work to do.
It was a good win for Carlton and maybe they are still coming. Where? Only time will tell.
Essendon defeated Sydney by 35 points
Sydney where suppose to be hard to beat at home but Essendon has done what no other visiting team has done this year & that is to win on the ‘match box’ sized SCG.
Hall said goodbye and the way the Swans forward line looked, they are a 3-4 goal worse side with out him. Scott Lucas, Jason Winderlich and Matthew Lloyd kicked three goals apiece for Essendon.
Essendon the first side this year to defeat Sydney at home to cement their finals chances alive.
Brisbane defeated Geelong by 43 points
In a team missing Ablett, Varcoe, Scarlett, Milburn, Kelly, Mackie, Johnson and Ling it was always going to be hard. Only Chapman & Corey showed anything with Bartel super quite, reported & J Selwood struggling.
Brisbane had winners everywhere including Rich (32 touches), Simon Black (34), Luke Power (33), McGrath (30 possessions) and Josh Drummond (29) along with Brown & Bradshaw kicking 7 goals between them.
Again Geelong had trouble kicking a goal and surely they need to sort it out before the finals come and they again come short due to Mooney, Hawkins & Lonergan not functioning up forward.
Adelaide defeated Fremantle by 117 points
Ok Fremantle had a lot of players out and a lot of skinny youngsters but when you loose by the clubs biggest margin, have a record low of 23 inside 50ms, their lowest score ever and only one goal for a whole game something is wrong. Fremantle’s biggest problem imo is that they really lack a true leader, Pavlich always has had question marks on him and no one else in the side has any leadership qualities.
Adelaide on the other hand never gave the hapless Dockers a chance with one of the best even team performances you will ever see. They had Porplyzia & Tippett kicking 5 goals each and only two players had less than 10 possessions.
Hawthorn defeated North Melbourne by 9 points
North was very good on a typical wet Tasmanian winter day but on the back off Buddy Franklin kicking 4 goals (& 4 behinds) and taking 8 marks, North just did not have a chance as the cream finally rose to the top. It took a 5 goal last quarter for the Hawks to shrug off the persistent Roos, I like how Crocker has managed to bring back the “Shineboner” spirit which I think Laidley was unable to do.
Hodge (25 possessions) also looks like he is returning to some form which is good as he and Buddy are the hopes for the Hawks to get into the top 8. Liam Anthony (25 possessions) is the one shinning light for the Kangaroos in the last month and he has continued with his impressive form. The real difference between the two teams was that the Kangaroos do NOT have a forward line who can win a game for them unlike the Hawks.
The Melbourne players did not allow Port to play their game through pressure on field & on the score board
Melbourne defeated Port Adelaide by 11 points
This games result will have season lasting effects.
- Means Port are almost without a chance to sneak into the finals (including the fact they have a soft run home).
- It meant that Melbourne have moved off the bottom of the ladder and
- that they may miss out on their chance on getting an extra pick in the draft unless they tank for the rest of year.
Liam Jurrah was amazing with four goals (and four assists) and with Petterd kicking four along with Robertson & Bate with 2 each. Add in Miller & a bulked up Watts, they have a forward line that can kick goals. Others to stand out for the Demons where James Frawley against Brett Ebert & Mark Jamar backing up against Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan.
Port have been told they need to toughen up and ordered to go for a 6am swim/ recovery (now that is punishment) but apart from K Cornes, Cassisi & Salopek the team struggled with ill disclipine acts (looking at C Cornes) & a miss-firing forward line (four goals between Tredrea, Westhoff, Gray & Ebert).
St Kilda defeated West Coast by 20 points
St Kilda had everything to loose and after the Geelong game, some even thought that West Coast could do the same as the Lions but while the Saints played insipid football at times, Montagna (43 touches, 12 inside 50s and 10 clearances), Milne (four goals) & Dal Santo (28 possessions and three goals) all stared which enabled them to win with a 5 goal last quarter. Earlier in the third quarter the Eagles even managed to get a goal ahead but their tendancy to go missing for parts of a game meant St Kilda did enough to win and open up a two game lead on top spot.
Everyone has an off game but with Hayes, Ball, Riewoldt & Kosi having it at the same time, it will slightly worry coach Lyon but a tough game against Adelaide should get them back to their work effort of the year.
Question marks will be on Cox this week as his groin again flared up, do they rest him for the rest of year and bring in Seaby and use it as a show off for the trading ‘meat market’ week in Oct-Nov? Masten played his best game for the Eagles (27 possessions) and his work rate and running is becoming his trade mark. Hansen also returned to the side with 3 goals along with the good form of Kennedy & LeCras (2 goals each).
Top 8 After Round 15
- St Kilda
- Geelong
- Western Bulldogs
- Collingwood
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Carlton
- Essendon
Round 15 Talking Points
Please give us your thoughts in the comments section below or add your own round 15 talking points. The questions will asked in bold and my response will be un-bold under them.
Your input and comments help us make Kick2Kick a better website..
- Is this the end of Geelong? Are the injuries, indifferent form & a miss firing forward line catching up with this team?
- They are not undefeatable anymore and I think the form of Hawkins & Mooney is a real worry. Definately been brought back to the field.
- Will the top 8 change at all? Can either Port & or the Hawks get into the top 8?
- No! Port and Hawthorn are both a game and at least 10% behind both Carlton & Essendon, which means they need a 100 point win or an extra win than Carlton & Essendon.
- Do the Dogs need Barry Hall? Or will he just stay retired? Or can you think of any other club that would be silly enough to pick up a 33 year old “wanna be” boxer?
- If he was 2-3 years younger, the Dogs along with a few more teams (Roos & Demons) may be interested but his temper and age is too much of a worry. Plus it also has the risk of ruining the Dogs game style & the Dogs will then have three of the older players in the AFL (Aker & Johnson).
- Should we just give Daniel Rich the Rising Star award now?
- Why not? I cannot think of anyone who can match his impact this year.
- Who will finish last on the ladder with only percentage the difference between Fremantle, Melbourne & Richmond?
- On the weekends form, you would say Fremantle (Brisbane home, WCE home, Dogs away, Port home, Demons away, Essendon home & Geelong away) but Richmond (North, Essendon, Melbourne, Sydney, Collingwood, Hawks & WCE away) & Melbourne (Geelong, Sydney, Richmond, North, Fremantle, Carlton & St Kilda) do not have much of an easier run home either.
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July 13th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Luck for & against me this week. A couple more minutes & the Dogs would’ve won.
Fev kicks 9 goals, Tigers kick 1.8 in the 3rd term. Luckily, the Blues got home.
McVeigh pulling out of Sydney team tipped the scales in Bombers favour, but too late to change it.
Cats were never going to win after the teams were named Thursday. If at Geelong, may have been different.
Eight looks set, just the possies may change.
Put your money on Freo for the spoon.
craig eyles´s last blog ..Flemington Quaddie
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July 13th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I agree going on from Sat nights form, Freo would be the bookee’s favourite to finish last but they could well win against WCE at home (good recent record) and Melbourne away would not be too hard and they could be with a chance against Essendon at home as well…
Think the most exciting ladder movements will be the bottom 3-4 rather than the top 8.
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July 13th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I think 3 big talking points came out of this weekend for me.
1. St Kilda are easily the premiership favorite. Geelong, the bulldogs and even Collingwood are not convincing me at all. Geelong i’ve felt this all along this season, The Dogs are a bit too inconsistent, and i think it’s their backline (not their forwardline) that is causing problems for them. they were amazing last week, and this week costly defensive errors cost them the game. Collingwood are young and they just dont seem to have the stuff to challenge for the flag, The saints seem to be the only team able to play average and still win.
2. The eagles are an ok team but can not travel. they have beaten the bulldogs, and given geelong and st kilda a real challenge all at home. but one has to wonder, if these games were played away from subiaco, would the result have been different? i think so, and majorly so. they need to address the fact they are unable to win away from home, and if they do so, they could well be a completely different side.
3. Melbourne are not as bad as we all thought. they’ve won two in a row and are starting to show some promise. i don’t think they will get the spoon this year, and look out for them in games to come, they may suprise
Mike´s last blog ..WS: Trip to FeilongShan
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July 13th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I also want to raise the issue of tanking. I will now put my hand up and say that tanking does not exist within a team. No player wants to lose a game, ever. neither does the coach. however i understand the reason for sending players into surgery and rehabilitation early if you’re destined to miss the finals. there is no point nursing injured players through the rest of the year if you’re season is lost. and bleeding young players is just a way to get more experience into them. i really don’t think that any team(players and coach) deliberately loses games to get draft picks. the risks are too big, the coach could lose his job, and players could be delisted or traded. so the desire to win is still very much there. the administration may hope for early draft picks, but i think tanking does not realistically exist.
Again…Tanking IS a myth.
Mike´s last blog ..WS: Trip to FeilongShan
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July 13th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Nah sorry, I agree giving people rest and an early operation may not be classified as tanking but Carlton tanked in the 2007 season and is the perfect example that tanking does happen…
Agree that if the Eagles could play as well as they do at home away, they would be a better side. I do think youth has something to do with it but think the problem is between their head.
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July 13th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Definitely Carlton tanked in ’07. They would’ve won the game against Collingwood & dragged Fev, Scotland & Carazzo off the fround with less than 5 minutes to play.
The Eagles seem to be fieldinf less experienced teams on the road than at home. How many times has Embley, Priddis etc missed trips & then mysteriously return next week at home??
craig eyles´s last blog ..Flemington Quaddie
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July 14th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Embley is always in and out with injuries, cannot comment about Priddis but I doubt its tanking, think its the fact that its easier to get up for a game when you only have to drive from home rather than spending 4-5 hours on a plane and then stuck in a hotel room. You Victorians struggle to understand just how hard it is travel every second game.
Geelong & the Dogs etc complain that they had to go from Perth to Victoria 2 in 3-4 weeks, welcome to what the Eagles & Dockers have to do 8 times a year..
Jermayn´s last blog ..2009 Round 15 DreamTeam Wrapup
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July 15th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Should the AFL adopt a similar fixture style like the super 14s and Baseball, NHL? where teams have home stands and away stands? for example the Eagles play three games at home, and then travel to melbourne, and play 3 games in a row there without flying back to perth? i know the impact on relationships and what not but it seems to work well in other leagues, is there any reason why it wouldn’t in th AFL?
Mike´s last blog ..WS: Trip to FeilongShan
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July 15th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I doubt this will ever happen but it does make sense, the AFL has done something which helps imo a bit in this years fixtures where both the Eagles & Dockers get two games in a row at home. Before it was one group of three games in a row at Subi, but this spreads it out a bit more.
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July 15th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Peter Matera had the answer. The Eagles of old uses to do “hit/run” missions to Melbourne. Turn up the night before & win.
craig eyles´s last blog ..Round 18 NRL Rankings
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July 15th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
baseball teams play no more than 2 weeks on the road. wouldn’t work.
craig eyles´s last blog ..Round 18 NRL Rankings
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July 16th, 2009 at 9:04 am
I remember Brisbane doing something like that a few years ago! They ‘lived’ in Perth for 2 weeks and had two away games against the Eagles & Dockers…
Jermayn´s last blog ..2009 AFL Round Sixteen Tips
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